Murchison Falls

There were a lot of great things about being in Uganda but by far one of my favourite things was seeing Murchison Falls. It is a national park and was part of the safari weekend, which cost just over $400. Yep – hell of a lot of money. As much as I enjoyed the Safari and seeing elephants only 100 yards in front of me, I think if Murchison Falls hadn’t been a part of the package then I would have been severely disappointed.  A lot of the animals on safari were either too far away to see or seeking shade from the sun, so even though we saw warthogs and antelope and, yes, lions and it was all surreal and beautiful and awesome – Murchison Falls was what made that weekend for me.

I took two books with me to Uganda, and thought it would be a great opportunity to reintroduce myself to a hobby that I once loved. I started with The Beach, which turned out to be an apt choice for that weekend. In the novel when Richard makes it to the cliff that he must jump off to get to the eponymous destination, he describes a great waterfall of magnificent beauty and what jumping off it feels like. As we neared Murchison Falls, I imagined for a moment that this was the waterfall that Richard had jumped off and that I too was about to go to the travellers mecca – the most cut off place in the world, a true traveller’s paradise. I realise that sounds kind of ridiculous now, but when I saw it for the first time and watched the white waves crash at its base I felt like I’d stepped into some sort of parallel universe where sights such as the ones Richard saw in that brilliant book were within my grasp.

Turns out this was only the beginning, because as we stepped off the boat and began the walk that would take us to the falls everything only got more beautiful with each step closer. The path we walked along was steep and paved in stones I could only compare to something out of a Greek tale. We were surrounded by thick forest on both sides for most of the walk, but it wasn’t imposing and I never felt claustrophobic despite the narrow path we walked. The trees were thick and twisted; vines coming off at random angles that reminded me of Disney’s Tarzan and filled me with a ridiculous and exhilarating level of child-like enthusiasm. I felt my legs burn, and my breathing becoming laboured as we got to higher heights, and yet I couldn’t seem to wipe the ridiculous smile plastered on my face. Everything I looked at seemed too perfect to be real, too much like something you’d read in a novel or see in a movie. I mean I saw what looked like a perfect replica of the mountain from The Lion King for god’s sake!

There was a few points where we stopped off to just breathe and collect ourselves, because even though the walk itself was short, the air was so hot and thick with humidity that it became necessary to guzzle water every other minute and wipe the sweat that collected on our foreheads from the encompassing heat. We stopped at a slabbed rock point right on the water’s edge which required some careful consideration of where to place ones foot, and me and my group watched enthusiastically the waterfall in its powerful glory. We were all awed, and we didn’t even realise that we hadn’t come to the best part yet because another 10 minutes down the path we would come to the point where from a higher vantage we could see two waterfalls and a deep rock pool underneath it which on the surface was all white foam and impossibly fast water. A whirlpool that our guide assured us we would never come from alive were one of us to fall. The raw power of this fact made me feel small and wonderful all at the same time. Seeing this hidden waterfall and knowing that it was only my determination that had brought me here made me feel strong and filled me with a warm sense of pride.

As we made it to the top, we came to the Lion King Mountain, and I cannot even begin to describe the view from this point. It felt like I was seeing for miles all around, the forest and long stretch of Nile merging to create the perfect moment. I was with everyone but I felt alone and I wanted to be the last of us there. I wanted everyone to walk away and I wanted to just enjoy the moment and the view for myself. I felt like it was something I needed. To leave a small part of myself there, because it was the perfect place and I didn’t ever think I would find that level of contentment again. The sun was setting and the Nile went on and on and, combined with the sound of the waterfall which lay just behind me, I felt as if I was standing in a place that was completely untouched from reality. It was a novelty for me, to be so happy by myself and to feel like I didn’t need anything in that moment except for the moment not to end. I realise that this sounds completely ridiculous, but I have honestly never felt such pure joy and I think everyone I was with could tell. It’s the kind of feeling I would compare to a child seeing something for the first time. As we began to walk back I watched as the air around me got colder and wetter, and the sound of thunder in the distance heightened the sense of my time at the falls coming to a close. And then I saw one flash of lightening in the distance, and I let out a squeal of delight as my friends watched me in confused amusement. Seeing that flash of lightening and watching the rain fall, as we stood at the highest point in the cold and wind added such a wonderful sense of surrealism to the whole journey. And not just the journey to the top, but my whole journey in Uganda and the choices I’d made that had brought me here.

On our journey down we stopped off at the mouth of the waterfall, where the water begins its descent. It was here that we saw the water at its most dangerous, and it was the closest we got. The sound was overwhelming, and I could feel the water on my skin as the splashback made a fine watery mist in the air. What really struck me though, more than the feeling of the water on my skin, was the smell. We all know it – the pure, fresh scent of water in the air. There was something about this particular smell though, that seemed more perfect. Like the smell of the beach except cleaner and a thousand times better. Maybe it was only better to me because I knew it would be the last time I’d get to have it. I appreciated every sense more.

As we left I was talking with a few of the other girls about how punch-drunk-happy I felt, and how I’d never forget this place or feeling and one of the other girls said rather aptly how Murchison Falls was her new favourite place. I agreed, it is mine as well. I would love to recapture that feeling. I hope I get to go there again, and I hope I get to see more things like it, because that’s what life is about. Living it and seeing sights like that and realising what it is to truly appreciate something and live in the moment. Before we’d started walking my camera had lost battery and I’d been so annoyed. Now I see it as a blessing, because for once I just enjoyed what I saw and stopped living through a lens - thinking about what other people would think, rather than I what I think.